Last hou Liu dik ktmb kl to jb night train

Last senandung sutera night train ended in may 2016. Now needs to change train at gemas and the schedule is not convinient.

McDonald’s special menu

once in a while McDonald’s would introduce new items on the menu. I like trying new dish mainly because of the advertisement. I’m a lousy consumer who is easily conned by ad.
Aug 2018 around National Day - Rendang Beef Burger. It tasted more like a black pepper beef burger
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A horror story about confinement nanny...

I finally managed to organise my thought and record down this story based on my horrendous experience. I’m so glad that I endured the 28 days confinement and it is over. Important lesson learnt here is don’t desperately take any recommendation from another confinement nanny. They are friends who just want to book jobs after jobs. They get referral fee $300-$500. They are simply looking out for each other’s interest. I’m extremely disappointed with the referrer because I asked specifically whether the nanny is hygienic. Of course the answer was “Yes!” but reality is the exact opposite. So mummies should only seek recommendation from friends or other mummies. Be quick to book the nanny as early as 1-2 month into pregnancy. The good ones are usually popular. Those nanny left unengaged after 4 months are definitely not good enough.

There are many things I didn’t like about this nanny just to name a few,

1. Basic hygiene is not up to standard for the nature of her job. For e.g. 
1. She was late on the first day. After a long bus and cab ride from KL, she reached my place at 10pm. She eagerly wanted carry my baby without doing any basic wash up. I have to request her to take a shower and change her clothes before touching my baby.
2. Baby sometimes pee on her but she didn’t change her clothes. Even when the baby swaddle wrap was slightly wet, she didn’t change it. The baby handkerchief was also not changed on daily basis.
3. She always leaves the half filled food waste garbage bag in the dish washing basin for the entire day and only clear the rubbish bag only once a day at night time. Food waste attracts cockroaches.
4. Dustbin not cleared timely. It is always filled with soiled diapers. Liquid from the rubbish even dripped inside the dustbin. Btw we have plenty of spare garbage bags and we told her need not scrimp on the garbage bags. No improvement.
5. We have a rubber mat for diaper changing. She didn’t use it but change diaper on her bed. I can see stains on the bedsheet but she never take initiative to change her own bedsheet. She can tahan sleeping with poo and pee. 
6. Once she changed diaper in the middle of feed because baby poop. After diaper changed, she intend to continue feeding without washing her hands. Luckily we stopped her in time.
7. After diaper changed (with poo btw) she left the soiled diaper in the room, on her bed and often without wrapping up the soiled diaper at all.
8. She accidentally dropped baby handkerchief on the floor in the hospital. She picked it up and continue to wipe on baby’s mouth even though my husband tried to stop her.
9. Kept the chopped garlic in fridge overnight and caused the fridge stink big time. After being told to stop the practice, she now left chopped onion in the fridge instead.
10. The kitchen top is always somewhat messy even after all the cooking and cleaning is done, supposedly. Scissors, wet table clothes, utensil etc. are scattered on the kitchen top conveniently.
11. I engaged a Malay massage service and used the nanny’s room. Throughout the 5-day sessions, auntie did not mop her room at all. The floor is sticky. She can take it. 真係好嘢
2. Absent minded, forgetful and not fully focus on the job, inadequately experienced although she has been in the industry for >10 years (which means she has not been paying attention to her job - 作事不认真)
1. Often use handphone to play loud music (same annoying song btw) and WeChat voice messages in the kitchen while doing stove cooking
2. Does not keep track on the baby last feed timing and volume. Increase milk volume for small baby unilaterally without communicating with parents. All kinds of baby fuss was interpreted as “not enough milk”.
3. I have a 4-year old toddler at home. A gate was installed at the backyard to prevent inadvertent access and fall over the yard railing. But this auntie always left the gate opened and created potential fall hazard for my elder kid.
4. Does not gauge the amount of food properly. Sometime the food is too much sometime the food is not enough. Food taste and rice texture is inconsistent.
5. When she wakes up and left her room in the morning, she switch off the fan. But the baby is still sleeping in the stuffy room! She kept the windows shut and baby is wrapped tightly in swaddle wrap for sauna. I have to move baby to the airy living room and remind nanny to use thin napkin for swaddle purpose.
6. Oil or condiments bottles always left uncapped. 無手尾
3. Basically she is a lazy person who likes to take short cut but misses the original intent of doing her job properly 懒到出汁. For e.g.
1. Slow boiling soup or dessert on the stove without using lid because she wanted to prevent the condensate from dripping to the side and having to wipe the stove later. But lizard may poop into the pot or insects may drop into the pot
2. Kept opened dried food packages in the cupboard as it is without tying up or transfer into a container. Cupboard door left opened sometimes. Convenient for next consumption but also easy for lizard / insects to access and contaminate the food
3. She kept the room window shut all the time so that she doesn’t need to shut them when it rains once in a while, in June/July hot season! The heat never bother her anyway. Sounds familiar?
4. She does not have the necessary knowledge or skill or interest to support breastfeeding. 
1. She perceived breastfeeding as a gap filler for her to do her kitchen chores when the baby is busy with mummy. There are many things a nanny can do to support breastfeeding such as, offer a pillow, prepare hot/ cold compress, massage, bring the baby to mummy and advise the timing to nurse, position the baby at the appropriate angle etc. But my nanny just sat around do nothing helpful except playing with her phone.
2. She warmed the ebm in the milk warmer for extended period of time. So warm that she need to run it through cold water before giving to baby. There goes all the nutrients. 
3. She is very quick giving bottled ebm in huge volume so that baby will fall asleep quickly. She expect me to express more milk but she doesn’t seems to understand that baby sucking motion on the breast stimulate milk production. Towards the end of the confinement, my milk supply dropped. My baby and I have to work hard from ground zero after the nanny left.

Besides the inadequate skillset necessary for the job, I particularly dislike some of her behaviour 

1. Talk loudly on the speaker frequently. Sometimes she didn’t realize that baby is crying.
2. Like to gossip about previous customers on the phone among friends or coworkers. I’m quite sure I’ll be her next gossip subject.
3. Works are not organized efficiently not able to wash my clothes. I did my own laundry. She wakes up later than the whole family and only managed to cook my “standard” soup noodle breakfast around 830 - 9am
4. Like to make irritating shushing sound and talk nonsense in high pitch to the baby thinking that’s the way to communicate with infant. 

Confinement is a crucial period for mummy to recuperate. Nanny played a very important role that’s why their service is expensive. I paid $2,800 plus 2 angpao in 2018 vs. $2,400 in 2014. Getting an incompetent nanny will only add more stress during this physically and emotionally demanding time. I regret hiring her and I’ll gladly share her details to any mummy who wants to avoid this lousy nanny.

Epic Hair Style

Baby Sab Weight Gain Journey

13 Oct 2014 (Day 6)

15 Oct 2014 (Day 8)

17 Oct 2014 (Day 10)

18 Nov 2014 (1 Month)

21 Jan 2015 (~4 Month)

25 Mar 2015 (~6 Month)

Jan 2016 (~15 Month)

May 2016 (1.5 yo)

Sep 2016 (~2 yo)

April 2017 (~2.5 yo)

Aug 2017 (~3 yo)

Feb 2018 (~3.5 yo)

D-day for 小小B

21 June 2018

0135. As usual I woke up for mid night pee since 30+ week of pregnancy. Regardless how much water I drink at night, I need to pee in the middle of the night due to increased baby size pressing against my bladder. This time round I notice traces of blood again. Sticky mucus look alike blood stain was noted on 21 June morning which marked my last scan and gynae visit. Per plan, I was scheduled to induce the baby on 27 June.

0217, I felt an unusual pain sensation while trying to fall back into sleep. Felt like want to poo and it went away shortly. After 5-6 minutes, I felt it again. I wonder what could that be. Started searching online and try to figure out. The pain came back again and again every 5-6 minutes. I tried to walk around, drink some water, do some light chores to distract myself but the pain came back regularly. Could this be Braxton Hick or the real contraction? I don’t know because Sabrina was induced and I had epidural without going through much labor pain. 

0330, called up delivery ward hotline to seek their advice and was told to check in through Emergency. After packing up my last few things into the hospital bag, we carried Sabrina into the car. AYE was so quiet at this wee hour.

0350, checked in to A&E and went straight to delivery ward for more waiting. The uncle at the Emergency counter seems to be very experienced with midnight labor cases. 

0500, doctor making rounds and only managed to check me. I was 4cm dilate. Requested for epidural because my pain scale was 10! My pain tolerance level is so low. Epidural is the right choice.

0540, epidural administered by an Indian / Bangladeshi looking doctor who speaks exactly like my construction worker. No more pain but longer waiting time. Blood pressure shoot up again. Same as my 1st labor.

0730, stayed awake. Can’t sleep. Felt slight pain and thought epidural didn’t work. Reminds me of the horror stories I heard from other mummies when epidural effect didn’t kick in at all. Fortunately mine was not the case. Pain scale is significantly reduced so it works fine for me.

0930, a team of doctors making their rounds and checked me. 1 old doctor like a lecturer and 2 MO like students. I was 7cm dilated yet the water bag is still intact. Doctor decided to break it to quicken the labor process. 

1000, dr Claudia finally came to my delivery suite and getting ready to deliver little baby. She checked the baby is already nicely sitting in position waiting to come out.

1019, baby Hannah is born! With 3 pushes.

New Year Eve in Batam 2017/18

2 day 1 night with nanny’s family. Parked our car at office season carpark and then took cheap Uber to HBF ferry terminal. This is the second time bb took ferry. There was no Tom and Jerry show onboard. So she still prefer taking aeroplane.

Hired a van for the whole trip. The driver brought us to all the usual places. Hotel is not bad. Bb was entertained by both 三姐 & 四姐 almost all the time. Swimming in hotel pool, shopping at Nagoya, visiting The Illusion Batam.

Ate some seafood, bought some groceries and layer cake. Batam is good if massage is the main purpose of visit and some cheap groceries and jersey.